I saw a number of new UN volunteer jobs posted recently, everywhere from the Western Pacific to South America and Africa. Their website also has some exciting new reports and other material including this map showing their impact across the globe.
Check their website to see a new UN report on Volunteerism, and job openings. Remember, with UNV you can be a national, international or e-volunteer.
During my four years with UNESCO in Malawi, our project had several young Malawians working as national UN volunteers. They did a great job in communications support and used that experience to further develop their careers.
If you want to read about my work in Malawi, check out my memoir – Overseas Adventures… available from this website or Amazon Canada.
Ah, wonderful CUSO! The first agency through which I started an international career in development.
The web links in the boxes below don’t work (my bad) but you can at least scan the job titles and locations (for English, French and Spanish speakers).
You can find the full list of opportunities with CUSO at this active web link. Just cut and paste this link to your browser.
Cuso International is celebrating 65 years of connection, collaboration, and global citizenship this June, and you can be part of it too. Apply for our latest 3–12 month volunteer placements and join a global community working alongside local partners to advance gender equality, inclusive economic growth, and sustainable development. Tanzania placements focus on fundraising and mining, with more mining opportunities on the horizon. In Peru, contribute to project development, supporting local partners to identify opportunities and develop proposals. In Benin, a standout opportunity is the Business Engagement Advisor role, which also requires some work in Senegal, supporting private sector engagement and inclusive economic development. For over six decades, Cuso International has connected tens of thousands of volunteers with partners around the world, building skills, strengthening communities, and creating lasting change. Now, it’s your turn to be part of that story. Join us in celebrating 65 years by helping shape what comes next and apply today!
In my experience, people will often volunteer at the beginning of their career before they have a family, or towards the end when their kids have left the nest. There is also a middle period when for enrichment or to take a break from regular routine, a professional including trades and technology folks take on something that is likely short and focused and aligned with their skill set.
Decades ago, I joined CUSO International as a young man for a two-year teaching stint in Nigeria, and just last year I volunteered as a semi-retiree for a short assignment in the Caribbean as a Catalyste+ Advisor. So I have seen both ends of the volunteer spectrum.
These days CUSO International offers a variety of short and longer term assignments. I posted about this organization before. They regularly announce up-coming volunteer positions in the Caribbean, South America and Africa.
One program they had in the Caribbean is winding down just as new programs are opening in the Philippines, Mongolia, and Viet Nam.
South of the border where thousands of development workers were laid off after cuts to USAID , there is current information on the DEVEX Career Hub website about the value of volunteering while waiting for a full-time development job.
See below for some new international postings from CUSO International and background on the organization itself.
I worked for CUSO years back as a teacher in Nigeria and some time later as a Field Officer in Ghana where we had about 70 volunteers in total.If interested, you can read about my experiences there in the first part of my memoir – Overseas Adventures– From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points in-Between.
Cuso International (Cuso) is an international cooperation and development organization based in Canada that works to create social and economic opportunities for equity-deserving groups. Building on over sixty years of impactful work, we address global challenges by tackling the root causes of inequality. Working alongside our partners, we are focused on efforts to improve economic resilience, advance equity and inclusion for all, and deliver progress on climate action. We believe that by sharing skills, we can build better futures. Guided by our values of courage, inclusion, sustainability and accountability, Cuso combines innovative strategies and enduring partnerships to create lasting, meaningful change in communities across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.
Cuso International provides a comprehensive support package to ensure volunteers maintain a modest and healthy lifestyle aligned with local standards. This includes:
Monthly living allowance
Accommodation
Health insurance (including required vaccinations and antimalarial medication)
Round-trip airfare and visa/work permit costs
Pre-placement, in-country and reintegration training (along with access to self-directed materials and online resources)
Ongoing local support
Access to the Employee Assistance Program during and after placement
I am sharing the email announcement from CUSO International about some upcoming 5-Month volunteer assignments (for both French and English language speakers). See the jobs listed below. Note that there are other jobs listed at the bottom link.
CUSO has a warm spot in my heart having been a CUSO teacher volunteer for two years in Nigeria, and two years later being a Field Staff Officer co-managing the 80 volunteers working in Ghana as well as small projects.
You can see Chapters 1 and 2 in my book “Overseas Adventures…” to learn more about my experiences there.
We’re excited to share our latest international volunteering opportunities for 2026! Did you know that the United Nations has declared 2026 the Year of the Volunteer? There’s no better time to make a meaningful impact abroad and be part of a global movement celebrating service and solidarity. These placements are designed for Canadian citizens and permanent residents seeking to make a meaningful impact abroad for a duration of 5 months. Whether you’re interested in volunteering internationally or know someone who might be, we invite you to explore our placements and find a role that suits your skills and interests. Alternatively, you can share these opportunities with your network if you think someone would be a good fit. Your contribution can truly impact communities around the world. As the holiday season approaches, we want to wish you and your loved ones joy, peace, and good health. Thank you for being part of our community and for supporting global change.
2026 has been declared by the United Nations as International Year of the Volunteer for Sustainable Development. You might recall that I was a CUSO International volunteer in Nigeria in the early 70’s and a Field Staff Officer for them in Ghana in the mid-70s. Volunteering and volunteers are great!
In Bangladesh, our ILO project used Australian volunteers, while later in Malawi, our UNESCO project benefited from getting national (Malawian) UN Volunteers.
And just this summer, I did volunteer work with Catalyste+ in Dominica.
Today, I got information on the latest CUSO newsletter. It’s an interesting read.
It’s been awhile since I wrote about WUSC on this BLOG but a reference in the latest newsletter from the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC) announcing new vacancies had me visiting their site again. Here’s what the ACIC said in their newsletter:
Your expertise can make an impact. By volunteering internationally, you can help create a better world for all young people. WUSC has provided over 10,000 Canadians with high quality, rewarding, and safe international and e-volunteer opportunities. Whether you are an early-career, mid-career or a retired professional, you can give your time and share your skills and experience in support of development programs that improve education, economic, and empowerment opportunities for young people around the world.
WUSC, much like CUSO International which I worked for in my early career, still sends Canadians abroad for development work (and to learn a lot in the process). WUSC also offers e-learning volunteer opportunities, a good option for those with families or other commitments who need to stay close to home. What is new and very encouraging for interested persons in low to middle-income countries is the opportunity to apply for a South-South volunteer assignment. There is also the chance to apply as a WUSC national volunteer in your own country. For example, I see on the current list of openings a position available in Iraq.
SOUTH-SOUTH Volunteer
The image below shows an example of an assignment description, this one for a job in Ghana lasting seven months. Check out the eligibility requirements shown. The full job description has many more details .
Conditions of Service for Canadian International Volunteers
The snapshot below lists the conditions of service for a Canadian WUSC International Volunteer. For those who might want to check out conditions for South-South or National volunteers, you can visit WUSC and explore further.
WUSC website
You can learn about WUSC and its volunteer opportunities here.
Also, you might find my book to be of interest. It is a memoir about my international work as a volunteer, advisor or consultant in sixteen different countries. Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between is available from AMAZON or … preferably from me at….
The Dominica Technical Vocational Education and Training Council (DTVETC) seeks comprehensive support to develop a 5-year strategic plan to support TVET in the country, including institutional strengthening for the New Goodwill Secondary School (GSS) TVET Center of Excellence. Catalyste+ contacted me for the short assignment as Strategic Planning Advisor.
The TVET Council belongs to an organization named CANTA – Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies. See their member countries below. The map also serves the purpose of showing where Dominica is located. (And no, Dominica is not the Dominican Republic.)
The in-county assignment will be about 2 weeks with a possible follow-up visit some time later. The parallel virtual assignment has already started with a kick-off meeting via ZOOM last week, and the first technical working group meeting coming up this Thursday.
I look forward to sharing my international expertise with the wonderful people of Dominica and advising officials as they develop the strategy.
This morning I received the below message from UNV Malawi about the value of UN Volunteering and how to apply.
I need no convincing since as Team Leader on the STEP Malawi program, we hired two excellent communications volunteers. There are different categories of volunteers, and in particular, national versus international volunteers. Some assignments are in country, others are online/remote.
If interested, you can create a profile at https://app.unv.org as indicated in the image below. And also check there, the type of assignments available and where.
One of my recent posts referenced an excellent online publication, ICTWorks. As the name implies it mostly focuses on the why and how of using ICT for development. But after the shocking news of President Trump freezing all US AID funding it has a well written, informative (and worryingly accurate) report on the potential effects this freeze will have on international development activity. As a former consultant with several UN agencies, I am dismayed at the potential revenue loss various UN agencies will face, not to mention the massive effect on numerous non-governmental organizations.
I am also disappointed at my lack of previous knowledge on the details of aid from the USA. The US has been a fantastic partner for international development in the past. We can only hope this freeze will be temporary and other countries will be able to take up the slack in the meantime. You can find the article at the website below.
US Aid Frozen: A Real Humanitarian Crisis and Lives will be Lost
I have submitted an application to become a volunteer with Catalyste+. So far, I have had my resume reviewed, participated in an interview and sent a request to two former colleagues for references. My next post will provide a further update on the process for those who might be interested.
